Seine-Marathon 76: Julien Brasseur takes the win, Fanjanteino Félix claims her fourth Rouen victory

The Seine-Marathon 76 pulled out all the stops for its Rouen edition, with four distinct races on the schedule. The unofficially measured 5K and timed 10K got things under way on Saturday evening, with the first battles already taking shape around Timothée Dupont and Juliette Gabanelle. Sunday brought the main event, with the half marathon and marathon, where Julien Brasseur and Fanjanteino Félix would write the weekend’s biggest stories. Starting from the lower quays and finishing at the Saint-Sever prairie, the course featured a succession of out-and-backs that became must-see points for spectators lining the banks around Parc des Bruyères, Avenue des Canadiens, Promenade Normandie-Niemen, Cour Loutz, Presqu’île Rollet and the other strategic spots where gaps opened up or closed, much to the delight of the crowds watching the runners’ faces at every pass, including Paul Cauvin’s after he had led for so long before Brasseur reeled him in.

Julien Brasseur pulls off the upset

Julien Brasseur won the marathon in 2:27:53, and the story deserves a closer look because it was anything but a straightforward wire-to-wire victory. For more than half the race, from the opening kilometre through the 23rd, he ran in the shadow of Paul Cauvin (Pont-Audemer AC), who had gone out on an ambitious tempo: 37:50 at 11K, 1:03:52 at 19K and 1:18:44 at 23K. Brasseur let him go without panicking, staying in ambush mode rather than chasing recklessly, aware that marathons are rarely won before the 30K mark. The race turned between 23K and 32K, when the early pace typically starts to take its toll on the most ambitious runners.

Brasseur seized control and then covered the final 10K in just under 34 minutes, a closing pace that almost makes his 2:27:53 look routine. His average speed was 17.11 km/h for the full distance, with the kind of race management you would expect from a seasoned road runner. Except Brasseur is no pure road specialist. His recent results point more towards trails and elevation, including a 25K outing in Villefranche-du-Périgord in early August. A trail-to-marathon progression that naturally raises questions, and would make for a much richer interview than a simple report of split times.

Behind the leading pair, the battle for the podium was worth following too. Gatien Durand (USM Malakoff) took third in 2:35:21, 7:23 behind, ahead of Jules Camelot, fourth in 2:37:36. Mathieu Lavedrine, from Haubourdin Loos Wattignies Athlétisme, also took the M2H masters win in 2:38:05, fifth overall, with Fabrice Grindel right behind him at the top of the same category. Mustapha Lhamzi, representing La Meute Running, won the M4H category and finished eighth overall.

Paul Cauvin, the pace-setter who faded

In control for so long, Paul Cauvin eventually finished second in 2:32:31, 4:36 behind the winner. His splits tell the story of a far more difficult second half than first, probably the result of an attacking pace he could not sustain. Between 23K, when he still held a comfortable lead over Brasseur, and the finish, the gap was completely reversed. A bitter disappointment for the Pont-Audemer athlete, who had led for more than half the course before being overhauled.

Fanjanteino Félix, the undisputed queen of the Seine

The women’s marathon had its own storyline, with a familiar face at the sharp end of the Rouen results returning for another win. Fanjanteino Félix, a Stade Sottevillais 76 athlete in the M2F category, won comfortably in 3:14:59, finishing ahead of the entire women’s field, including the senior runners. A masters athlete taking the overall women’s win is always notable on the marathon, and this one deserves emphasis, all the more so because it was her fourth career victory in the event. She has clearly made the banks of the Seine her own territory.

The champion’s background is every bit as impressive as her Rouen record. A former elite track runner, Fanjanteino Félix has earned 10 senior French team selections and 13 podium finishes at the French Elite Championships, with personal bests that are anything but ordinary: 2:00.18 for 800m and 4:01.17 for 1500m, both set in 2010. She began her move to the roads several years ago, and it is clearly still paying dividends.

Behind her, Raymi Farfam (M1F) took second in 3:23:28, 9:14 back, ahead of Faustine Poujol, third in 3:26:29 and the leading SEF athlete. Rachida Tahri (M2F) completed the top four in 3:25:09, followed by Charlotte Laurent, second among SEF runners and fifth overall in 3:32:15.

SPN Vernon in perfect sync on the half marathon

On the half marathon, SPN Vernon secured a one-two that was no accident. Erwann Le Doussal won in 1:06:20, with François Leprovost just 11 seconds back in second in 1:06:32. Le Havre AC followed closely behind and made a strong impression in the standings, placing three runners in the top six, including Sudanese athlete Azaki Abdellah, sixth in 1:08:46. It was a genuine battle between Normandy clubs over this distance, with SPN Vernon locking out the top two places and Le Havre AC taking three spots in the top six, extending to ninth with Clément Eliot (1:10:42).

Mathilde Degenetais, the half marathon’s rising star

The women’s half marathon crowned a rising talent. Mathilde Degenetais, a Caux Seine Athlétisme athlete in the ESF category, won in 1:18:16, finishing ahead of the entire women’s field across all categories. An overall win for an U23 athlete, mirroring Fanjanteino Félix’s masters victory in the marathon, provided two particularly neat category storylines from this edition. Aline Jourdain, of Piranhas Dieppe (M1F), took second in 1:19:03, just 59 seconds back, ahead of Mathilde Galland, the leading SEF runner in 1:22:43. Blandine Vincent (AC Barentin, M1F) completed the top four in 1:23:02.

Sottevillais and Rouen Normandie dominate the 10K

Saturday evening’s 10K delivered a similar team-driven storyline, only more emphatically. Timothée Dupont, from Stade Sottevillais 76, won in 30:21, with teammate Antoine Regnier second, just 16 seconds back. Behind the Sottevillais one-two, Rouen Normandie Athlétisme put on a collective show of force, placing no fewer than four runners in the top 10: Hugo Dalla Libéra (third in 30:50), Edouard Morin-Luzuy (fourth, 30:51), Thomas Vion (seventh in 31:04) and Loïc Lemoine (eighth in 31:07), with Thomas Levasseur also taking 10th overall and the junior win in 31:37. SPN Vernon, enjoying quite a weekend, also placed two runners in the top 10 with Romain Chaudun (sixth in 1:02) and Alexandre Foret (ninth in 31:32).

Juliette Gabanelle completes SPN Vernon’s treble

In the women’s race, SPN Vernon capped a perfect weekend. After the men’s one-two in the half marathon, Juliette Gabanelle won the women’s 10K in 35:12, with a comfortable lead of more than two minutes over the field. It was a third win for the Eure club in two days. Hard to improve on that. Manon Jacob (AO Charenton) took second in 37:24, 2:13 back, ahead of Félicie Guillon, the leading Rouen Normandie Athlétisme runner in 37:46. Charline Letellier completed the top four in 37:54, just ahead of Chloé Posecak (CS Monterau), the leading M0F runner in 38:04.